Guitar Player - Eric Johnson's "Cliffs of Dover"

[@paulandlesson]

So many great guitarists out there. I could not have made a living without degrees, and teaching classical as a professor. I am 46 and I am just blown away by all the talent out there. Guitarists, stick together we play the coolest instrument in the world. I am humbled watching guitarists like this gent.

[@laszlokatai-pal5685]

Paul Lesson That's one very nice comment sir. Indeed it's the coolest and most creative instrument. :)

[@paulandlesson]

László Kátai-Pál Thanks for the response. I had the pleasure to watch again. Enjoyed the sound at least as much as the first time. Peace

[@DrewJD]

This post should be at the top of every comment section of every guitar related video. This is all too often not the case with many people. Thanks for adding that bit of positivity to the world!

[@kakarot8001]

u r 54 now :)))

[@musicman102357]

This so far is the only video that truly captures Eric Johnsons Cliff of Dover tone. This is spot on . Great job.

[@KfirOchaion]

You nailed it with the Marshall! cool stuff.

[@maxt4803]

Dude. I cannot believe your here.

[@paulpugh5315]

when James switched on the echoplex.....bingo.......then the tube driver.....bingo......then the reverb.....bingo again....Marshall IS what nailed EC's dover tone..... thanks James......genius.

[@thomaspick4123]

Great step by step tone explanation. Eric Johnson tone is one thing. It is his unique scale, note selection that tells you it’s Eric. Good job.

[@robertnewman2864]

Superb tone, plain talk explanation, and great playing. This is a very good demo, thank you.

[@KevinSmithdc]

The important lessons I took away from this (most awesome) video were: 1. You don't need a Marshall to get a base-line Marshall overdrive sound. A decent overdrive pedal can be a valid substitute. 2. The key to getting EJ like violin tones is with the Butler Tube Overdrive as a second gain stage on top of the original. 3. The Echoplex really does warm up the sound quite a bit. Notice how less warm it was when he used the pedal delay? Anyway - thanks for the insight!

[@DudeManSharp]

wow, that first tone in the video, that's the cream tone baby. spot on.

[@beyondpacifism]

Thank you so much for this. I've been on the fence on buying a BK Butler tube driver, and this sealed the deal. I very much appreciate your time in making this!

[@paulandlesson]

Music, especially the electric guitar enjoys so many adjectives. Many explored here. Outstanding.

[@got2rock4]

I absolutely love the way he shows you can get similar results with totally different amps using gain staging this is great video for EJ tones! 🔥🔥

[@voodoolabofficial]

Must be an optical illusion. That rig is a standard full matching straight, slant and 100-watt Super Tremolo stack with all original speakers as well. But, in case you've never noticed, old Marshall 4x12 cabs are actually perfectly straight. They actually lean back a little at the top.

[@LukeMaynard]

This is a fantastic walkthrough, thank you! I can't express how happy I am that literally all I need to model this exact setup is already contained in my Line 6 rig - Spider III amp ("Crunch Red") and M13 multi-effects ("Tube Echo" "Tube Drive" and "Plate Reverb"). The whole setup is modeled after, specifically, the '68 Marshall Plexi 50 Watt, the Maestro EP-1 echoplex (though I think yours looks like a solid-state EP-3), the Chandler Tube Driver, and a generic studio plate reverb like the EMT 140. If I want to try the Fender Twin variant, that's the "Twang Red" setting on the amp, and add in the generic "Overdrive" which is based off a DOD250 (though I myself am one of those post-SRV kids who can't get enough of the Tube Screamer, and use it for most of my "generic" OD functions even though it really colors the sound). Anyways, it was great to follow along and get almost this exact tone. Anybody who says the digital modelling doesn't even get close just hasn't mastered dialing in each of the models yet. It's not perfect but it's real close.

[@lrmars]

James, you are a gifted man, indeed! This is excellent stuff.

[@danmills8521]

That is the absolute closest spot on EJ tone I’ve ever heard when he used the Marshall with post reverb. Spot on EJ well done!

[@voodoolabofficial]

@Jasn1111 Thanks! It's close enough for rock and roll! Funny thing is, I've seen EJ practice backstage through his D-Dec and sound amazing. He's got it in the hands.

[@rockstarjazzcat]

Well done, James. Thanks for providing this kind of "guitarist's public education" where other companies merely promote their own gear! Much appreciated.

[@davkrat5]

@IClowen It's called improvising. I took lessons from this guy when I was a kid and if anybody on earth can cover Cliffs of Dover, it's James. Millions of people all around the world are playing that game to James' cover, he recorded the track for Guitar Hero. Learning something note for note is easy, blending that into your own style takes talent.

[@ajohnson929]

i see you shakin your head there at the end. believe me, you sounded awesome! that is a hard song to play. i'm a guitarist myself and i can appreciate when a young player plays so well. keep at it!

[@dennisandvicki]

Just a big thanks. I think it's so cool you've made this for everyone!

[@jeanguion3223]

my first tube amp experience came from a fender.. skipped school one day..walked to the local music store.. (tiny hole in the wall shop)... charvel #2 / orion distortion pedal / fender champ 15.. tiny little tube amp..that set up sounded ridiculasly good.. played for about three hours..loved every minit of it... latter came back and traded for the charvel..should have bought the little champ but at the time didn't realize that's what made the sound so good...was only 15 . still loved the charvel alot.. great guitars back then..anyhow... my favorite guitar amp is an old fender twin...when I plug into a modeler..if it can't do a fender twin...I don't even consider it...it is fundimentaly the base for any great guitar sound period... I later went to work at that music store...we put a couple other stores in town out of buissiness by volume sales rather than profit sales...then bought more of the building we were in..expanded drastically and overtook 85% of the entire towns music...it was great...(Kentucky Music Co.) bowling green ky..

[@Martell276]

oh my lord. amazing gear. amazing tone. amazing playing.

[@voodoolabofficial]

@madatown Thanks and I agree. That's why when I'm not 'working", I just play acoustically or through a tiny tweed deluxe so I can just enjoy the beautiful raw tone of a guitar.

[@6gpower]

This guy, first off, I must say. He is a good player. He used to work for Line6 or maybe still does. I have seen him sitting with EJ, working on Cliffs of dover. I dig what he is about and what he does. We all have our idols and what gets us off. Either way, you have to give him credit for seeking out his love for tone.

[@jfrockon]

Wow! As an EJ fan for ever.... you have all but nailed the tone. Kudos to you. VERY nice.

[@bilanggoboy]

Thanks so much for posting this, James and Voodoo Labs! Very comprehensive, and really takes into account the playing finesse required to approximate EJ's tone! Fantastic playing, sir! God bless you and the rest of the team!

[@G7flat5]

James is a really excellent player! I had the chance to meet and hear him at Dweezilla.

[@AdamDallas]

That tone is beautiful!!!

[@Billywagner22]

You nailed the tone.You also have a great feel for EJ's style.5 stars on a job well done.I enjoyed that.

[@voodoolabofficial]

You're right. Those units are pretty expensive now due to the vintage market. Actually, a really good pedal for getting some of the Tube Driver tone is the old Ibanez SD9 Sonic Distortion. I used to use that in place of the Tube Driver with great results. I think Ibanez/Maxon sells them again. Compared to a Tube Screamer, a Sonic Distortion has more overdrive, and a bigger bottom end.

[@PeterPug]

Very nice playing...had no idea you were THAT good!!! ;)

[@Marshall50w]

Thanks James for the quick response and advice

[@voodoolabofficial]

@aprendiendocooledit I did for the recording sessions that ended up on the Guitar Hero video game. But, in this case, since the video is being given for free, Eric would not be getting payed his royalties for writing this song. I could play the riffs, but out of respect (and some legal issues) I decided to focus on the tone which was the point of the article for Guitar Player magazine article I did anyway. Thanks for bringing up the point though.

[@matuldamegasen8562]

You make great videos!

[@michaelwoods9005]

I saw EJ at a small benefit concert in Bastrop, TX and his only amps were a couple silverface twins, no marshalls and no 4x12s. He still got all his usual tones.

[@GuitarLessons365]

Hey great video. I got a quick question. Are you cutting some of the highs with the bridge tone knob in order to help get those warm sounds? I believe EJ does. If so, how far are you turning down the tone knob? Most of the time when I turn the tone knob way down on my EJ strat is also looses a lot of the signal strength. Thanks!!

[@DavidFeilyMusic]

the butler tube driver is an amazing pedal that EJ uses

[@voodoolabofficial]

@G7flat5 Thanks so much. Looks like Dweezilla is a go for next year. What an amazing experience to meet so many people with a passion for real music. AWESOME!!

[@jamessantiago2292]

You nailed it Joemisek. Thanks for jumping in here.

[@mattjazz3]

That is probably the best job in the world. Sitting around achieving tonal zen...

[@voodoolabofficial]

I'm using a 100-watt Super Tremolo from around 1970. But, I'm also using a THD Hot Plate to knock the overall output volume down about 12dB. Really, that amp needs to be on 7 or so before you start to get that gentle breakup of the output tubes. Without the Hot Plate, I would definitely get hurt sitting in front of it!

[@ejlister]

On the recording, he used his ES-335 for 95% of the song, NOT a strat. That being sad, live, he gets a thick tone out of the strat like you did here! Well done!

[@voodoolabofficial]

He does use a second Marshall setup that's just for rhythm but it's never on at the same time as the lead Marshall rig. He uses an A/B box to decide which rig he's going to play through. Also, the y-cable is only used on the lead Marshall for getting into the head's "bright" and "dark" channels. On his rhythm Marshall, he just goes into the bright side of the amp which is the top left input on a 4-input Marshall.

[@EJStratMan1]

you really can't beat the sound of an old plexi and an echo plex.

[@Jazz...]

Wow, nice job on getting his tone nailed

[@voodoolabofficial]

THD Hot Plate power amp attenuator. Just means the head can run way louder and distort the power tubes, but the overall volume is brought down before hitting the speaker cabinet.

[@InfinityMotorsports]

Very Excellent work voodoo- I dig what you are doing, and understand not simply copying Eric out of respect etc.

[@Drewriders]

That was great. I always wondered why people used overdrive pedals on a quality amp.

[@Funkyryno]

@madatown "holy grail tone searching" is an amazing and fun quest. It's one of the only things my Dad and I have in common. We go to guitar shows and look for the newest and best gear. It does not take the "fun" out of music by any means.

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

Feels like there is maybe a little too much high end distortion fizz on the first lead sound, like it needs a little bit of smoothening out. Could be from the tube driver overdrive, could be simply that the pickups are a little more midrange cutty. It's a great sound in and of itself but the Johnson sound is a little warmer and rounder to my ear. Just a thought. Great video.

[@voodoolabofficial]

Well, they both do the same thing essentially. But, if you want to be really weird about it, if you run into cannel 1 and then use another patch cable to go to channel 2, you are adding two ends and cable to the input of channel 2. That means you have more capacitance loading on 2.

[@voodoolabofficial]

Exactly. Channel 1 is a tad bright, and Channel 2 is dark (is was supposed to be used for bass!). By going into both, you get a good balance of high end from 1, and an extra thick bottom from 2. Jumpering from 1 to 2 with another cable is fine. Just make it a really short patch cable. As for the TD, try changing out the tube. It does make a difference. I actually prefer lower gain tubes like a 12AY7.

[@JamieTyson]

Thanks for the reply. I looked more closely and I see it now- I was fooled by the mic stand. I feel silly.

[@voodoolabofficial]

@theboywhocantollie You got it. Top cab is the "slanted" version with the bottom being the "straight" one.

[@davkrat5]

@TheMangasm haha, Thanks. Just stating the obvious and sticking up for the guy who brought the joy of guitar to my life. God it's been 20 years but I still remember sitting in lessons and just wanting to listen to James play rather than fumble my way through a lesson. James rocks and it's great to see how far his playing has taken him and all the Guitar Hero posers that play along to his recording. hahaha

[@voodoolabofficial]

@Wiltonibanez The looping that Eric does is usually done by the MXR1000 Digital Delay rack piece that's on his rhythm setup. I think he later changed to the MXR1500. You can usually find them pretty cheap these days. I think even some of the Boss pedal units have a "hold" function now too.

[@gusbarros]

James is a genius!

[@voodoolabofficial]

Jed, there is a big difference between treble and presence. Most guitar amps don't give you more than a standard treble control. Presence is generally past the frequency range of treble. Too much treble and you have an ice pick in the ear. A lot of Presence, and you hear more the the little things like pick attach and string noise. So on his Marshalls, he puts the Treble halfway up, but turns off the Presence. This way he can cut through a mix, but get rid of the glitchy pick noise.

[@voodoolabofficial]

Going Tube Driver, Overdrive, Delay to amp is just fine. The only thing you're going to miss is the natural ducking effect that will happen from not overdriving the delay. IMHO, delay (analog or digital) just sounds less organic when not given a little natural grit. At least when it comes to this type of guitar tone. Kind of like the Edge's tone where he plays delay into cranked up, slightly broken up Vox amp. Gives the echo a nice character.

[@crazyenright]

nice set up you got going on. very neat

[@jraimondi]

The Marshall signal is the ticket

[@ericpaulos8129]

Keep in mind the Marshall tone includes a lot of power tube saturation since the amp is essentially turned all the way up, then soaked. It would be interesting to hear what the cranked Sig X would sound like.

[@voodoolabofficial]

@CVP21594 Yup very true. You're on it CVP! He only plays a strat for the beginning of the solo which is admits was a punch in done later. Main thing is, the grear and most of the settings are all the same. You're on it CVP!

[@voodoolabofficial]

Yeah, they're not as easy to find these days. You're right. Actually, the new Marshall reissue stuff isn't bad at all. The Hendrix one sounds pretty good (EJ had one last time I saw him), and they make a great 18-watt amp if you need a lower volume for recording. The thing with that head is that the preamp has a bit more gain than the 66/67/68 era heads. Marshall did that on purpose and it's one of the reasons guys like Yngwie actually prefer amps from 69 to 73!

[@DaveH28]

That is really really good playing

[@humbleoverdrive]

You sure know what you're doing. great!!

[@GabrielCMassaro]

THD Hotplate is an power attenuator , thats allow you to play the amp distortion but with a bedroom volume!

[@voodoolabofficial]

It's on our schedule! It's the next set of vids we want to do.

[@voodoolabofficial]

@hollis1974 The knob settings on the green pedal won't match anything out there. But good news is that it's almost out. It's called the Giggity pedal and hopefully in the next couple months, it will be widely available. Use the Tube Screamer before the Tube Driver. I've had good experiments with it that way. If you put it after, you take away a lot of the fat bottom that the Tube Driver adds. Good luck!!!

[@voodoolabofficial]

As a general EJ thing, he almost ALWAYS plays lead with the bridge pickup. So, that's what I did by default. Yeah, a good old Marshall is a wonderful beast!

[@sonicplayg]

this tune was recorded in the studio with his 60's 335, not a strat..but the strat tone on this you tube video sounds awesome!! great job...wish I had that stuff!!

[@leftyfusion88]

Nice video. I'd like to hear all of the heads w/ pedal setups going at once.

[@cactification]

Very nice! Great video.

[@johnstitt2615]

Very nice indeed. So nice

[@G7flat5]

@voodoolabvid Great, I am already signed up as well. I lent you the throw away earplugs the first night.... The Deity pedal made that twin sound cool, I think I will get one. Thanks for the vid. and the description of pedals used.

[@voodoolabofficial]

@Fenderjohnpaul If you don't mind not having a tone control, you can always use one of the old DOD 250 pedals. Our Voodoo Lab Giggity (which is the production version of that proto) should be out soon as well!

[@smoss469]

I think he means Unity Volume. As in no volume drop or increase when you turn it on.

[@AmmoniteII]

and thus the giggity was BORN

[@SharpEdgeStandardOfficial]

Closest I’ve ever hear anyone get when using the Marshall head

[@BullToTheShit]

So that's what attenuators do. Thanks for the info. Looking around, it seems like THD Hot Plates are no longer being made. I only see used ones for sale.

[@bushibayushi]

the tone with Fender is better than with the cranked Marshall ;)

[@t-boog2173]

I agree. The fender, and all three amps really, sounded like Eric. It shows just how important the Tube Driver is to the E.J. tone. IMO, the Giggity and the Dover Drive do a nice job too. I'll say this, if you needed one amp to do all three E.J. tones, a Fender would prob be the best choice. Then you would have his Fender clean sound, add in an overdrive for his dirty rhythm sound, then add in a Tube Driver(or Giggity or Dover Drive) for his lead sound. Maybe instead of the overdrive, a Plexi in a box type pedal set at very low gain might get you even closer then just add Tube Driver and your done!

[@Eppiphane]

Dudes, lay off. He's got some good chops and from what I can tell, he's a great tech.

[@CherokeeMusic]

In the studio, he did. Live, it's almost always done with a Strat.

[@JamieTyson]

Dunno if you're still checking this, James, but I'm curious what is up with your cabinet. Is that a smaller cab angled and sitting in the bottom 4x12 shell? I'm confused why the baffle is so steeply angled. Great job, I bought the Giggity thanks to your demos!

[@niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick]

@TheFunkify the mysterious prototype green dirt box is the upcoming 'giggity' :)

[@voodoolabofficial]

Well, those amps are a different beasts. In the room, the VHT sounds tighter and a little more focused.

[@MickCorgi]

Hard to believe that you get that coarse cracking dirty sound without a fuzz face.

[@voodoolabofficial]

Let's hear it!

[@charlesmassoud4811]

Good job spot on

[@voodoolabofficial]

@rockdisipline Thanks! I've gigged that gear to near death and thankfully it all still works. Minus a few blown speakers here and there. Haha!

[@voodoolabofficial]

@alfo2000 It's a 57 reissue I've had since the 80s. Although, the neck was replained many years ago and I had tall narrow frets put on it. The relic look just comes from way too many bar gigs back in the day. Ha.

[@voodoolabofficial]

@fend14 That one should be a 1966 JTM50. I also had a 1970 Super Tremolo in that recording rig that also sounds amazing. Loud as jet, but great tone! :)

[@pietromestu]

great tone and serious gear! but i think that what makes 80% of Eric's tone is the way you pick the strings ( cassical EJ way of plucking ) and the phrasing which is very >EJ-like! that is the most important piece of gear in this video!

[@voodoolabofficial]

@RockStarJazzCat Thanks! As a company, you can't expect any artist to play nothing but your gear. That's not really practical. We as a company get it and are okay with it.

[@voodoolabofficial]

@garydupuis I've played most of the pieces from that rig at various times. But i've NEVER taken that setup all out. I don't think my back would allow for it. ;-) I've paired down to just the essentials. Since I've mostly retired from active touring/gigs, when I do go out, it's with a 2x12 cab with either a single Marshall or Fender head. As an example, there is now something posted on our Voodoo Lab page from one of those gigs at the Baked Potato.

[@CVP21594]

Good video, one thing though. Although Eric Johnson played/plays a strat on almost everything, Cliffs of Dover was recorded with a 60's ES-335

[@voodoolabofficial]

@sergiobluesman Thank you very much Serg!

[@niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick]

my only guess would be a sparkle drive type thing. but it sounds totally different and judging from the controls you see at 4:40 it is totally different. i'm really after that woman tone in a box thing and the closest by far i've found is the zendrive 2.

[@markalan4462]

first step... 15k worth of equipment

[@ctproductsmachineshop4894]

I can be done with a $300.00 modler

[@scottbasal9749]

Lol

[@Diax1324]

You can do this with a Marshall Origin 20 for $400, a TC Flashback mini for $70, an MXR fet driver for $70, and if you must have the reverb in the PA, you can get a Digitech Polara for a lexicon hall and an SM57 for less than $200. All together (with the reverb and mic) you can have an approximation of this sound for $700. Otherwise, yes, most digital modelers have enough gear to get close-ish. The hardest thing is actually the overdrive IMO, as most overdrives cut low end quite a bit, while the tube driver cuts none whatsoever (if anything it removes some highs). It is also most certainly not a fuzz, as its low end is compressed/fuzzy but feels very tight on chords and notes, and doesn't pump like silicon fuzz faces tend to (and also has a hefty boost, which fuzz faces are also lacking).

[@gregmize01]

DOUSCHE

[@impersonalperson6199]

Nash, just educate your self on some stuff.....don't need expensive gear

[@HoneyGoatStudios]

ok it will be on my chanel in a few

[@zaccyo]

awesome

[@madatown]

@Funkyryno I guess to a point it could be fun, and I could never discount what you get out of it. But when you're taking winds out of pickups, or using 100 feet of patch cord, extremes like that, it can get a bit overwhelming.